Progression Series 17 Lying in Wait Page 3

  "I want your help. Both of you."

  "You have a strange way of showing it," Ellison challenged. "Why all the cloak and dagger stuff, huh? A bit melodramatic for an old beat cop like you, wouldn't you say?"

  Mitch smirked. "Let's just say I didn't want to chance being seen meeting with you two."

  Jim fixed his gaze at a spot beyond Mitchell's shoulder. "From what I hear, you've done everything possible to make Sandburg's days at the academy pretty miserable." He shifted his attention to Mitch's face, stared hard into the older man's eyes. "And now you want our help? You've got nerve, I'll give you that."

  "Relax, Ellison. I only treated the kid the way I did because I wanted everyone at the academy to think I had it in for him. If they suspected we were working together, it would blow the entire setup I've planned."

  "Setup," Jim returned dryly. "What setup?"

  Mitch sighed wearily and looked around as though he thought someone might be nearby listening.

  "No one's around," Jim told him impatiently. He stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and the older cop. "Just get to the point."

  "Fine!" Mitch glanced at Blair, then back at Jim. "This all has to do with Tom Brayden's death."

  "Brayden!" Blair's eyes widened in surprise. "He was killed during at a routine traffic stop!"

  "So it appeared," Mitch corrected him. "But I happen to believe there was more to it than that. I think Tom was targeted for death and I need your help to prove it."

  "Go on," Jim prompted, a tone of suspicion underlying his words.

  "About a week before Tom died, he came to see me. He'd been doing some tutoring at the academy and it had come to his attention that something was going on there. Something illegal."

  "Did he tell you what it was?" Jim asked.

  "I asked but he wouldn't say anything. He told me he didn't want to accuse anyone without proof, that he wanted to wait it out a bit and see if he could get some sort of evidence." His face clouded. "But he must have gotten close, because he was killed."

  "But you can't be sure his death was related to what he suspected at the academy," Jim reasoned.

  "Oh, come off it, Ellison!" Mitch erupted. "No good cop believes in coincidence!"

  "All right, hot shot," Jim retorted. "Let's say you're right. Let's say Tom stumbled onto something illegal and was killed because of it. That still gave you no right to involve my partner without asking us first! You could've met with us to find out if we even wanted to be a part of this!"

  Mitch raised his eyebrows, spread his arms wide. "You can still walk away."

  "No we can't," Blair spoke up, his voice soft.

  "And you knew that, didn't you, Mitch? You knew that even if I didn't think we should be involved, that Blair wouldn't walk away once he heard about this. You counted on that." Jim moved closer to Mitch, elbowing Sandburg out of the way. "I should pound some sense into your thick skull."

  Mitch held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, backing away a few steps. "All right, so I manipulated a few things to get Sandburg into a position where I could get his help."

  And suddenly, everything that had occurred in Simon's office earlier that week came into focus for Blair. He huffed out a surprised laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. Then he looked at Mitchell, eyeing him evenly. "You told Commissioner Collier about me, didn't you?" He stepped around Jim, moving in on the older cop. "I wondered how he knew about me, why he just showed up at Simon's office out of the blue. It was you!"

  "Yes," he admitted, "it was. I waited until the last minute to add the two sociology classes to the roster, knowing it'd be too late for our regular teaching staff to take on the added load. Then I pointed Collier in your direction." He stared down at Blair. "I'm sorry, kid. But I needed you to come over and teach so I could get close to you, get you into a position to help me."

  "I don't see how Sandburg can help you. If something illegal is going on, those cadets aren't going to try and draw him into it. He has too good a reputation for that."

  "I realize that." Mitch turned his attention directly on Blair. "All I want you to do is watch them, let me know who in your classes is hooked up together. If you can give me the contacts, I can take it from there." He shifted his attention back to Jim. "I think they'll act freer around him because he's not a cop. They won't suspect him like they did Tom. Come on, Ellison, this is 'no risk'."

  "There is no such thing as 'no risk' and you know it." Jim looked down at Blair. "What do you think about all this, Chief?"

  Blair knew what Jim wanted him to say. He wanted him to say no, to just walk away. But he couldn't. He looked at Mitchell. "Just watch them and tell you who hangs out together, right?"

  "That's all I'm asking. It won't even interfere with the work you do with Ellison."

  Blair let out a short laugh. "What work?"

  Mitch shook his head, clearly confused. "What're you talking about?"

  "Bringing Collier's attention to Sandburg did a lot more than land him a teaching assignment," Jim bit out. "Collier found out that a civilian consultant was serving as my partner and now we're having problems because of it. You split us up as partners, Mitch-at least on paper-and I can promise you I'm not going to forget that you had a hand in that!"

  "I'm sorry," Mitch blurted out. "I had no idea Collier would split you up." His gaze shifted from Jim to Blair and back again. "I mean that. Listen, once this is all resolved, I'll go to Collier, tell him about your involvement in this. I think the commissioner will be so happy that the problem in the academy was worked out that he'll readily agree to your partnership."

  "You'd better hope he does," Jim said, anger still flashing behind his eyes.

  "So when do we start?" Blair interjected, hoping to diffuse the situation before Jim took a swing at Mitchell.

  "Tomorrow," Mitch answered immediately. "As soon as you get in, start watching the cadets, make notes of who spends time together, and if you can manage to overhear some conversations, that wouldn't hurt either."

  "Overhear conversations?" Jim repeated. "That sounds risky to me."

  "Not if he's careful."

  Jim moved in front of Blair and, placing his hands on his shoulders, stared down at him. "Listen, Chief, you want to do this, that's fine. But you don't engage any of those cadets in conversations, don't try to infiltrate them. You just watch them."

  "Ellison, why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

  "Because," Jim bit out, turning and glaring at Mitchell, "you've put my partner into a situation in which I can't serve as his backup. Have you forgotten what it means to have a partner, Mitch? Forgotten how important it is to always back your partner?"

  "I'll be his backup," Mitchell promised loftily.

  Jim looked at him with unveiled disgust. "And why should I trust you?"

  But Mitch didn't back down beneath Jim's angry gaze. He simply lifted an eyebrow and shrugged slightly. "Because that's the only choice you have."

  Part Four

  Jim poured two cups of coffee, watching his partner who stood out on the balcony taking in the morning sun. It had been a week since they'd met with Mitchell on that back road and Jim was beginning to notice an escalating mood of unease in his friend. Crossing the living area, he stepped out into the cool morning air.

  "Here you go, Chief," he said, handing him one of the mugs.

  "Thanks, man." Blair took the cup but did not immediately drink from it. Instead, he turned back to the view of the city.

  Jim moved into place beside his partner and waited silently, knowing that when Blair was ready to talk about what was on his mind he would do so. The sentinel didn't have to wait long.

  "I don't know about this thing with Mitchell, Jim," Sandburg began, his tone uncertain. "I mean, I've been teaching these classes for nearly two weeks now and I just don't see any problems." Turning, he leaned against the iron railing and stared up at his partner. "I don't see how any of the cadets I have in my classes could have been involved in Tom's d
eath." He shrugged one shoulder. "Sure, a few of them are cocky, but overall they seem like a good group of people."

  "Have you told this to Mitchell?"

  Blair nodded, finally taking a sip from his cup. "He says to just keep doing what I'm doing. But this spying...it's making me uncomfortable, man. I feel like I'm lying to my students every time they come to class and I don't like it." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I just want this whole thing to end. I want things to go back to normal." He looked up at Jim, his expression hopeful. "Has Simon said anything more about Collier? Has the man budged at all about his decision?"

  "Not so far," Jim said, not even attempting to hide the disappointment he felt. "Simon and the chief have tried to set up a few meetings with the commissioner so they can discuss the situation, but Collier is avoiding them."

  "This just isn't right, Jim. How can this clown come in after four years and say we can't work together anymore?"

  Jim paused for a long moment, then turned to look at his partner. "Listen, Chief," he began, "I've talked with all the guys down at the station and they're all willing to say that you put in time with each of them if it comes down to that. I mean, Collier never comes by Major Crimes. He'd never know you're actually just working with me, and if he does ask...well, the guys will cover."

  "You mean they'll lie," Blair said, staring up at Jim. "I can't have everyone in Major Crimes lying for me, Jim. I appreciate that they're willing to go to those lengths, but I just couldn't let them do that." He turned back to the view, stared absently at the cityscape. "Our only choice is to impress Collier with the work I'm doing at the academy. If there is something going on, maybe my uncovering it will be enough to get me reinstated as your partner." He dropped his gaze, shaking his head. "I'm just sorry you're getting stuck with such crappy cases while I'm away."

  Jim's brow creased at the guilt he heard in Blair's voice. "Chief, it's not your fault that Simon's been assigning me softball cases."

  "Yes, it is." Blair looked up at Jim again, his expression troubled. "I should have never told Simon that I intended to ride with you no matter what. He's purposely giving you easy cases in order to avoid that. I know it must be driving you nuts."

  "Chief, until I have you back with me I honestly think it's best. I don't think I could handle anything too stressful right now."

  Blair frowned, his brow furrowing with worry. "What do you mean? Are you having trouble with your senses?"

  "Not exactly trouble," Jim admitted with more than a little reluctance. "It just seems like I have to work harder at controlling them when you're not around."

  "Jim, man, there've been days before when I haven't been able to work with you. Your senses seemed to be okay then."

  "I know. But this isn't one day, Chief. It's been almost two weeks and the more time that goes by the more I feel my control slipping." He swept his hand across his hair. "Each day it becomes more and more of a chore to keep everything in line."

  "But what about when I was...gone? When Grant had me in Crittendon? I know you zoned once but overall, how were your senses then?"

  "Chief," Jim whispered. "I spent most of that time sitting and staring. I didn't exactly... function on any level when I thought you were gone."

  Blair dropped his gaze again. "I'm sorry, man."

  Jim moved closer to Blair and placed a hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "Hey, hey, that wasn't meant to bring on a guilt trip. What happened with Grant was not your fault. And now....I know you can't help not being there. And I also know that it puts a lot of pressure on you to know that you need to be there." He shrugged. "What can I say? This just proves how much I need you." He smiled as Sandburg rolled his eyes. Lifting his hand from Blair's shoulder, he tapped teasingly at the younger man's forehead. "Face it, Chief, you're stuck with me."

  Blair chuckled. "Yeah, okay, I can live with that." But his expression quickly clouded again and he sighed deeply. "I just hope this whole thing gets resolved soon." Suddenly his eyes widened. Grabbing Jim's wrist, he checked his watch. "Oh, man! Listen, I'd better get in the shower or I'm going to be late for my first class."

  "Okay, Chief. I'm going to head out, too. Maybe we can hook up for lunch today."

  Blair smiled up at him. "That sounds good."

  Jim waited until he heard the water come on in the bathroom before leaving. This entire setup had them both on edge. He needed it to end. Soon. He planned to confront Simon today, make him understand what was going on...and that he needed his partner back at his side.

  /

  /

  /

  Blair parked the Volvo near the entrance to the academy's main building. Grabbing his backpack, he exited his vehicle and headed toward the rear door. But he'd only walked a few steps before he heard the familiar sound of Mitchell's voice calling out to him.

  "Hey, Sandburg! Wait up!"

  He turned toward the older officer, eyebrows raised in question. "I'm going to be late for my first class, Mitch. I-"

  "Forget your class." Mitch stopped before him and, reaching out, latched onto his arm, immediately propelling him back toward the parking lot. "We have more important things to do."

  "Like what?" Blair demanded as they approached Mitch's vehicle, the grip on his arm almost painful. "What's going on?"

  Mitch finally released him, his gaze sweeping the parking lot. "Something is going down. I need you to come with me."

  "What do you mean, 'something is going down'? Something that has to do with what you've had me working on?"

  "That's right."

  "What about Jim? I should call him and-"

  "I've already contacted Ellison. He's on his way there right now."

  Blair shook his head, his mind racing. "On his way where? What are you talking about?"

  Mitch opened the passenger door to his car. "Just get inside and I'll fill you in on the way."

  Blair licked his lips, glancing over his shoulder, his hand tightening on the backpack he still carried. "I don't know about this...."

  "Do you want to help find Tom's killers or not?" Mitch bit out.

  Blair locked his gaze with the man before him. "Maybe I should call Jim," he said, swinging his backpack from his shoulder, ready to dig inside and retrieve his cell phone.

  Mitch grabbed his pack, stopping the movement. "If Ellison is already in position and you call him, the ringing of his phone will destroy this whole setup."

  "What setup?" Blair asked again. "You haven't told me anything."

  "That's because I don't have time!" He stepped closer. Locking his hands on the sides of Blair's arms, he held him tightly in place. "We have one shot at this, Sandburg. I'll fill you in on the way, but if you don't come with me the whole thing will be blown."

  "Okay," Blair relented. "I'll go. But I want an explanation."

  Mitch's smile was relieved. "You'll get one. I promise."

  A chill slid down Blair's back as he got into the passenger side of the car. Something in the way Mitch said those words-the tone of his voice, the look in his eyes-bothered him.

  He lied to get us to help him on this case. Is he lying to me now?

  But why would he? What did the man have to gain by lying to him about a possible lead?

  "So fill me in," Blair said as the sedan pulled smoothly onto the street and into early morning traffic.

  Mitch glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "I got a tip this morning that several cadets are holding a meeting down at one of the warehouses on the docks. I'm not sure what the meeting is about, but I have a feeling they may be onto us and could be discussing the best way to solve this new problem."

  "The way they solved the problem with Tom?"

  "Exactly," he said, taking a left and heading toward the marina. "Ellison told me he'd get some listening equipment and try to have it set up by the time we get there. But he was adamant that I show up with you. He said that if something is going down, he wants his partner at his side."

  Blair nodded. The exp
lanation made sense, but he knew the real reason Jim wanted him there. Whatever listening devices the detective might bring were no match for his own enhanced hearing. Jim planned to zero in on the cadets in the building with his own hearing and he wanted Blair there to ground him.

  Several moments later, they pulled to a stop in front of what appeared to be a vacant warehouse. It was severely run down, the front marked with a "No Trespassing" sign. The area surrounding the building was deserted.

  Blair frowned. "I don't see Jim's truck anywhere." He glanced behind him, then out his window. "In fact, I don't see any cars at all." He looked to Mitch again. "You sure this is the right place?"

  "Oh, I'm sure."

  And as Mitch spoke the words, Blair felt that same small chill slither down his spine.

  This was a mistake.

  Even as the words rushed through his mind, he watched in stunned silence as Mitch pulled his weapon from the holster at his side and aimed it at him.

  "Get out of the car," the officer ordered.

  Blair swallowed hard, his heart pounding fast in his chest. "What're you doing?"

  "Get out of the car!" he shouted, pointing the barrel of the gun in Blair's face.

  "Okay! Okay!" Blair backed out his door, keeping his hands in plain view.

  "Take your pack with you. I don't want any evidence left in my car."

  Evidence. The word repeated itself in Blair's mind, bringing with it the knowledge of what Mitchell had planned for him. He doesn't want anyone to know I was in his car because he's going to kill me.

  Hands shaking, he reached inside and withdrew his backpack, then clutched it to his chest. "There's nothing going on at the academy, is there?" he challenged as Mitch exited the car on his side, keeping Blair in his gun's sight as he did so. "This was all just done to get me out here, wasn't it?"

  Mitch smiled widely. "Well, now I can see why Ellison likes working with you so much. You're sharp." He shrugged one shoulder. "I had to find a way of separating you from Ellison. The man has a reputation for being a bit...protective when it comes to his civilian partner. If this was really going to work, I needed to get you alone...and involved in a potentially dangerous case. This way, when you die, everyone will just assume you got too close."